The present invention relates to a sound-absorbing element for an air vent, wherein the air vent comprises a housing with an air outlet opening and a connection to an air supply shaft, wherein at least one sound-absorbing element is mounted in the housing and/or a housing of the air supply shaft and wherein the sound-absorbing element comprises a support connected with at least one layer of sound-absorbing material.
A range of measures and devices for reducing noise in air vents is known from the prior art. Thin and easily movable parts are frequently mounted in such air vents, which parts are set into oscillation by the exiting air flow and therefore create disturbing noise. Particularly in the case of a motor vehicle, such disturbing noises also arise as a consequence of vibration of parts of the vehicle or in the event of travel on, for example, uneven ground, which equally leads to undesired vibration or movement of the thin components of an air vent. On the other hand, flow noise also arises due to the fact that air guide elements represent resistance to the air flow, particularly when they are in extreme settings (for example, vertical slats at 45° to the flow direction so as to deflect outflowing air).
Thus, horizontal slats, vertical slats or closure flaps are known from, for example, EP 1 826 043 B1, which have a straight front or back edge going over into an area section which is three-dimensionally curved in wave shape.
Moreover, an air nozzle for guidance of an air flow from an air supply shaft is known from DE 20 2006 006 409 U1, wherein a closure flat, slats or inserts for deflecting exiting air flow is or are arranged in the housing of the air supply shaft and wherein the surfaces of the closure flap and/or the surfaces of the slats or inserts and/or the housing inner surfaces are at least partly coated with a layer of soft sound-absorbing material. The sound-absorbing materials can be foamed materials or textile materials.
It is possible to reduce disturbing noise by way of the constructions indicated in DE 20 2006 006 409 U1.
However, the layer of DE 20 2006 006 409 U1 does not produce an improvement in air quality. Complex filter devices are known for the purpose of, for example, improving the air quality of the air which is output from an air-conditioning installation of a motor vehicle. In these filter devices the air conducted into the passenger compartment is purified before output. For that purpose, these filter devices are, for example, arranged in the region of a glove box (DE 694 00 122 T2) or spaced further from a dashboard having air vents. These arrangements allow simple access to these filter devices. However, the air covers a lengthy path from these filter devices to the air outlet opening of an air vent. In addition, these filter devices need a not insignificant installation space.
DE 102 61 081 B3 discloses an air guide element, particularly an air guide channel for a motor vehicle, with a reverberative channel body which is produced from plastics material and which has at least one wall region replaced by a sound-absorbing component, wherein the sound-absorbing component has an at least partly exposed outer side. The plastics material of the channel body is injection-moulded around an edge region of the sound-absorbing component in such a way that the sound-absorbing component is mechanically positively connected at least in sections along its circumference with the channel body.
DE 103 43 96 A1 discloses a flap, particularly for an air channel of a motor vehicle ventilating system, by which the air flow in the air channel is regulated, for which purpose the flap can adopt different settings in the air channel, wherein the flap has an air-permeable region and an air-impermeable region.
DE 197 05 629 A1 discloses a device for reducing the noises emanating from components of a heating or air-conditioning installation for motor vehicles and transmitted into the passenger compartment, with an air flap furnished with sound-damping material, wherein the air flap is an auxiliary flap arranged within the air circulation channel and the auxiliary flap substantially consists of air-permeable material.
DE 91 00 514 U1 discloses an air guide element, particularly ventilation nozzle for a motor vehicle, with a shape-stable, reverberative plastics-material channel body preferably of polypropylene, wherein a wall region of the channel body is partially replaced by a non-reverberative insulating part and the non-reverberative insulating part consists of melamine-resin foamed material.
DE 42 44 906 C2 discloses a fan for a motor vehicle air-conditioning installation. The fan comprises a fan-wheel housing and a sound-absorbing element. The sound-absorbing element is arranged in the fan-wheel housing so as to divide the interior thereof into a first chamber and a second chamber. The first chamber has an air inlet and an air outlet and receives a fan wheel. The second chamber receives a motor, which is so connected with the fan wheel that the fan wheel is driven by the motor to allow air to flow through the first chamber. The fan-wheel housing is provided with a motor cooling air channel formed integrally with the fan-wheel housing. In addition, the motor cooling air channel extends between the first chamber and the second chamber via the sound-absorbing element so as to introduce motor cooling air from the first chamber to the motor in the second chamber.
DE 100 47 068 A1 discloses a filter for removing constituents from an air flow, which is conducted in a channel, of a heating or air-conditioning installation of a motor vehicle. The filter consists of at least two filter layers having a mutual spacing in flow direction so that an intermediate space is formed between the filter layers. The spacing between the filter layers corresponds with approximately a quarter of a predetermined sound wave length. The filter is thus also acoustically active and contributes to sound damping.
A device for acoustic insulation is known from DE 200 16 255 U1. The device comprises a housing in which insulating material is arranged. The housing for its part is provided with air passage openings and the insulating material arranged in the housing consists, at least to 50%, of sheep virgin wool.
An air guide channel for ventilating, heating and/or air-conditioning a vehicle interior space is known from DE 10 2005 026 556 A1. The air guide channel has a channel wall which is made at least partly of a flexible material. The flexible material comprises a non-woven material and regions which enable a defined air output are formed in the channel wall.
The object of the present invention is therefore to reduce or suppress noise from an air vent and at the same time improve the quality of the output air.